For James there was no indication that this was the day that his life would
change. The dawn for him was not the bright beginning of a new day, but the end
of long fruitless night of fishing. As James sat mending his nets in the boat
with his brother John and his father Zebedee, he must have watched in wonder as
his partner Simon brought in nets loaded with fish he had caught at the command
of Jesus. Was he shocked when he saw Simon and his brother Andrew walk away
from this incredible catch at a word from this same Jesus?

As he watched Jesus walk toward him followed by Simon and Andrew, did he
feel curiosity, fear, hope, envy? Jesus didn't pass him by but, stopping by
their boat, called James and his brother John to do just what Simon and Andrew
had done. Without argument or discussion, James and John left their boat and
even their father behind, and followed Jesus.

The first thing James saw after he followed Jesus was
his teaching with
authority in the synagogue and the cure of Simon's mother-in-law.

We all know that Jesus was the focus of James' life from
then on, but it is
also evident that James held a special place in Jesus' life.

He was chosen by Jesus to be one of the twelve apostles,
given the mission
to proclaim the good news, and authority to heal and cast out demons. To
be
named one of the twelve James must have had faith and commitment.

But even among the apostles he held a special place.
When Jesus raised
Jairus' daughter when all thought her dead, he only allowed James, John,
and
Peter to come with him. Even more important when he went up to the
mountain to
pray, he wanted James, John, and Peter to go with him. And it was there
on the
mountain they were privileged to witness what no one else had seen --
Jesus
transfigured in his glory, speaking to Moses and Elijah, as the voice of
God
spoke from a cloud.

And with Simon Peter, James and John were the only ones
of the apostles that
Jesus gave a special name: Sons of Thunder.

To be singled out in these ways, James must have been a
close and respected
friend of Jesus.

It's no wonder then that James, along with John, felt
that he had the right
to go to Jesus and ask him to give them whatever they asked. As a mark
of his
love, Jesus didn't rebuke them but asked them what they wanted. They
showed
their lack of understanding of his mission when the asked that he let
one of
them sit on his right and the other on his left when he came into his
glory. He
replied that they didn't know what they were asking. They didn't see the
cross
in his future, but an earthly throne. Could they drink of the cup he
would
drink of? They replied that they could. He assured them they would
indeed drink
of that cup.

(Matthew has their mother asking for this favor for her
sons. Despite the
bad reputation their mother got for this, it should be remembered that
she too
had followed Jesus in his travels, providing for him, and was one of the
women
who stayed with Jesus as he was crucified when the apostles, including
her son
James, had fled.)

The other apostles were furious at this request. But
Jesus used this
opportunity to teach all of them that in order to be great one must be a
servant.

James and John did show further lack of understanding of
their friend and
Lord when he was turned away by Samaritans. They wanted to use their
newfound
authority as apostles not to heal but to bring fire down on the town.
(Perhaps
Jesus gave them their Sons of Thunder nickname because of their passion,
their
own fire, or their temper.) Jesus did reprimand them for their
unforgiving,
vengeful view of their power.

But despite all these misunderstandings, it was still
James, Peter, and John
that Jesus chose to join him in prayer at the Garden of Gethsemane for
his
final prayer before his arrest. It must have hurt Jesus that the three
of them
fell asleep on this agonizing evening.

James did drink of the cup Jesus drank of, all too
shortly after the
Resurrection. Acts 12:1 tells us that James was one of the first martyrs
of the
Church. King Herod Agrippa I killed him with a sword in an early
persecution of
the Church. There is a story that the man who arrested James became a
convert
after hearing James speak at his trial and was executed with him.

James is called James the Greater because another
younger apostle was named
James. He should not be accused with this James, or the James who is a
relative
of Jesus, or the James who was an elder of the Church in Jerusalem and
heard
Peter's defense of baptizing Gentiles. James, son of Thunder, was dead
by then.

Legends have sprung up that James evangelized Spain
before he died but these
stories have no basis in historical fact.

James is the patron saint of hatmakers, rheumatoid
sufferers, and laborers.

In His Footsteps

What name would Jesus give you if he would describe who
you are and your
gifts?

Prayer:

Saint James, pray for us that we may be willing to leave
everything to
follow Jesus as you did. Help us to become special friends of Jesus as
you
were. Amen

MARIAN CONSECRATION

I, (name), a faithless sinner, renew and ratify today in your hands, O Immaculate Mother, the vows of my Baptism; I renounce forever Satan, his pomps and works; and I give myself entirely to Jesus Christ, the Incarnate Wisdom, to carry my cross after Him all the days of my life, and to be more faithful to Him than I have ever been before.

In the presence of all the heavenly court, I choose you this day for my Mother and Queen. I deliver and consecrate to you, as your slave, my body and soul, my goods, both interior and exterior, and even the value of all my good actions, past, present, and future; leaving to you the entire and full right of disposing of me, and all that belongs to me, without exception, according to your good pleasure, for the greater glory of God, in time and eternity. Amen.- St. Louis Marie de Montfort